What does "fall down" mean (sense 1)?

To fall to the ground from a standing or upright position. Example: "The child fell down on the playground and scraped her knee."

What does "fall down" mean (sense 2)?

Of a structure: to collapse or crumble. Example: "Several walls fell down during the earthquake and had to be completely rebuilt."

What does "fall down" mean (sense 3)?

Of a plan, argument, or idea: to fail or be weak at a particular point. Example: "The proposal is creative, but it falls down when you look at the projected costs."

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fall down

A2 neutral inseparable intransitive

To drop to the ground, or to fail at a specific point.

In plain English

To drop to the floor, or to fail at one particular part of something.

What does "fall down" mean?

3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.

1 A2 neutral

very common

To fall to the ground from a standing or upright position.

"The child fell down on the playground and scraped her knee."

inseparable

2 A2 neutral

common

Of a structure: to collapse or crumble.

"Several walls fell down during the earthquake and had to be completely rebuilt."

“

London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down.
— Traditional English nursery rhyme, 'London Bridge Is Falling Down', c. 17th century.

inseparable

3 B2 idiomatic neutral

common

Of a plan, argument, or idea: to fail or be weak at a particular point.

"The proposal is creative, but it falls down when you look at the projected costs."

inseparable

Literal vs figurative

Words literally mean

To fall in a downward direction — physically dropping to a lower level.

Actually means

To drop to the floor, or to fail at one particular part of something.

Usage tip

In its literal sense, very common and transparent. In its figurative sense ('where the plan falls down'), it pinpoints a specific weakness rather than total failure. British English tends to use 'fall down on' for the figurative sense.

Words that pair with "fall down"

Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.

stairs ground plan argument idea proposal building

How to conjugate "fall down"

The five tense forms you'll use most often.

Base

fall down

I/you/we/they

3rd person

falls down

he/she/it

Past simple

fell down

yesterday

Past participle

fallen down

have + pp

-ing form

falling down

continuous

Hear "fall down" in the wild

Listen to native speakers using "fall down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.

Other ways to say "fall down"

Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.

collapse crumple drop fail keel over topple

Keep exploring

Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.

All phrasal verbs with "fall" All phrasal verbs with "down" More A2-level phrasal verbs